A popular Dorchester attraction is celebrating a record year with more visitors than ever before.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Sculpture by the Lakes welcomed almost 50 per cent more visitors than pre-pandemic levels in 2021.

The 26-acre park proved a pandemic success story with around 30,000 people coming through the gates to admire the sculptures, lakes, exhibitions and more. This was 10,000 more than in 2019.

Simon Gudgeon, sculptor and co-creator of Sculpture by the Lakes, said: "Seeing the final tally for the year was quite astonishing. We are so pleased that so many more people have found us and can enjoy this very special place.

"By taking online advance bookings only, we have been able to cap visitor numbers each day, helping both to ensure safe social distancing and maintain that special atmosphere of tranquillity and relaxation that is synonymous with Sculpture by the Lakes.

"Even with the strict cap in place on ticket sales, because we're open practically all year-round and we've been sold out so many days, we have still seen visitor numbers add up over the course of the year."

During the year, Simon and his wife, Monica, have put on a number of events, including FORM - The Sculpture Exhibition - which brought 200 additional works to the park - Dorset Garden Festival, Dorset Arts Festival and Wellbeing by the Lakes.

Simon added: "It has been a rollercoaster of a year and like so many others in this sector, we have had to adapt to make sure we remained compliant with all the changing restrictions, but we've also taken the opportunity to be bold and try new things. That approach is one I'm looking forward to continuing with next year; it certainly keeps things interesting, not just for our visitors, but for me too.

"I also think the pressures and stresses of this pandemic have meant that people have really craved a place where they can relax and recharge, so we've seen many people coming back time and time again.

"We're really proud of what we have created here, and the number of visitors - and repeat visitors - is testament to the team's work to make the experience a really special one every single time."

Sculpture by the Lakes is closed for a month while works take place and will reopen on February 1.

For more information, visit sculpturebythelakes.co.uk

Don't forget to sign up to our newsletter below! You can submit your own news straight to Dorchester Nub News by using the 'Nub It' button on our home page. This can also be done for events on our What's On page and businesses, groups and organisations on our Local Listings page , also by using the 'Nub It' button. Please like and follow our online newspaper on your favourite social media channel. You can find us @DorchesterNubNews on Facebook and @DorchesterNub Twitter.